On October 7, 2023, a terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas It was the trigger for Israel to declare a frontal war in Gaza. Since then, more than 32,000 deaths have been recorded among Palestinians and Israelis.
For this reason, different non-profit organizations have arrived in the conflict zone to care for the injured and provide all types of assistance. One of those organizations is Doctors Without Borders, which sends health professionals from around the world to provide their services to vulnerable populations.
You can now follow us on our WhatsApp Channel and in Facebook.
Diego Guerrero, a doctor from the National University, arrived in that delegation. He has been with the organization for over a year, where he treated hundreds of men, women and children affected by the ravages of bombs and projectiles in the Gaza Strip.
In interview with Blu Radio, The specialist expressed how challenging it was to care for this population, and even stated that as a result of this experience he remains in constant psychological support. “It is another level of emergency. It is another level of attention. There are no words with which I can explain, there are no words with which I could prepare myself before or to imagine what I was going to see. The suffering of people is incredible. It is difficult even for us. For me, as a doctor, it has been difficult. We are receiving psychological and medical follow-up and support to ensure that we recover completely.”
Guerrero spoke about the problems that exist in the availability of medical and logistical resources to care for those affected. Food, clothing and footwear are part of the daily needs of the civilian population living in the midst of war. Besides, revealed some practices that they had to resort to as doctors, with the purpose of optimizing resources.
“We are working to the limit. We don’t have resources. In recent weeks, healings that were done every two or three days had to be carried out every four or six days to try to save resources. If we continue at this pace, in days or weeks, Doctors Without Borders will be forced to close services, and that is something we do not want,” said the 37-year-old health professional, who arrived in the country two weeks ago after experiencing the dramatic experience.
The hostile scenario is not only experienced by the civilian population, but also by the representatives of these humanitarian organizations. In fact, He told the aforementioned media that one of his colleagues died after an attack by Israeli troops.
“The death of our colleague is very sensitive. The indication we receive from Jerusalem is to wait for investigations into the events that occurred. What we know so far is what all the media knows. “He is a colleague who has been working with MSF in Palestine since 2018 and died from an attack by Israeli forces on the way to his Doctors Without Borders clinic,” he added in the interview with the aforementioned media.
On Wednesday, June 19, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Gilberto Murillo, announced that a group of Palestinian minors will arrive in the country to receive medical assistance at the Military Hospital in Bogotá.
The chancellor stated that this is a collaboration strategy between Colombia and Palestine. To do this, the country would send a plane to bring boys and girls who meet a series of conditions that require their attention.
“We are quite advanced in helping children who have been affected by the conflict in Gaza. The announcement was made, as you know, by the President of the Republic, and we are in the implementation of this instruction: bring 35 or 50 boys and girls, who have some type of mutilation, who are in Egypt and who can come with their companions, for a period of up to six months“, Murillo said.
